Why your phone calendar is your best friend

This post was written by an external contributor. Connor reveals how to use your phone calendar to full effect.

Among my friends, I’m always the one who shows up late – or, if not reminded where I’m supposed to be, not at all. Life is hectic, and we have so much to remember that it can be impossible to always know what’s happening when.

We all walk around with our head in our phones – heck, we can walk down the street, face down, whilst avoiding everything that comes into our path. So, why not make use of your phone’s calendar so that you never have to deal with the embarrassment of showing up late again… and again… and again…?

Here are my top tips on getting the most out of your phone’s calendar:

Work, social, etc.

One of the best features of your phone calendar is that you can view multiple calendars simultaneously. This is a lifesaver because it highlights your work/life balance and can help you prioritise should you double book yourself.

Also, having separate calendars for work and social events gives you a colour-coded system in planning your week – and you can add as many calendars as you like. For example, you could have separate calendars for work deadlines, meetings and events. This way, you’ll be able to identify at a glance how your time is shaping up, and what type of day you’re going to have.

Location, location, location

If you’re always late this will save your life. Like, literally.

Not only does it mean that you’ll never forget exactly where you agreed to meet for lunch, but adding the location to each entry in your calendar means you will get a real-time update on when you’ll need to leave your current location in order to make it on time. Genius!

Repeat event

Paper diaries are all well and good, but they can be long and tedious to fill in. You must write out those repeat events you do every week over and over again. Well, no more, because you can set events to repeat as often as you like – weekly, monthly, annually… however often you need!

Another benefit of this is that you can set an end date, meaning that you can schedule your lectures for the semester, for example, and have your calendar entries end alongside your last class. This way, you’ll know exactly when you’ll have free time again (and it’s great for counting down to the end of the semester…)

Add notes

It’s one thing managing to show up on time, but turning up with everything you need is a whole other story. You can guarantee there’ll always be something, and that’s where the ‘notes’ section comes in handy.

I note down everything – and I mean everything – and it’s saved me so many times. Too often we think ‘I’ll remember that’, and in ten minutes its gone. But if you note it down as soon as it’s mentioned, you’ll never forget again.

Set alerts

If you’ve something major coming up, set an alert to remind you in due time. If it’s an important meeting, give yourself 24 hours’ notice so you’re fully prepared. If it’s a deadline, get daily updates to kick yourself into gear. It sounds trivial, but you’ll be glad when you show up with everything in check.

Plus, it’s a life saver for birthdays!

Consistency is key

Most important is consistency, and that means keeping on top of your calendar every day. Otherwise, what’s the point?

Add every event and delete them if necessary – that way you’ll be able to keep track of what you’re doing and what you’ve done. Remember, even if you have an event set to repeat, you can delete an individual entry. This way, you’ll not only be prepared in advance, but you can look back and feel accomplished at just how much you’ve got done over the course of a week.

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